Astrolabe Clock vs Pocket PlanetARium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Astrolabe Clock
This app offers a modern interpretation of an ancient astronomical instrument, providing a real-time view of the sky. It displays the time of day, day of the year, and the positions of celestial bodies like the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. Users can also track sunrise/sunset times, moon phases, and celestial transits.
- Real-time sky view
- Time of day and day of year display
- Sun, Moon, planet, and star locations
- Sunrise and sunset times
- Moon phase tracking
- Celestial transit times
- Eclipse occurrence indicator
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Astrolabe Clock is an astronomical clock inspired by the astrolabe, an ancient astronomical instrument used to tell time and to predict the location of the Sun, stars and planets. This modern interpretation gives a view of the sky showing at a glance the time of day, day of year, and the location in the sky of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. Astrolabe Clock also gives the time of sunrise and sunset, the phase of the Moon, transit times for the Sun, Moon, planets and stars, and can be used to show the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses.
Pocket PlanetARium
Explore the cosmos in augmented reality, bringing the universe to life in your surroundings. Walk around and zoom in on planets, experiencing the solar system in 3D with interactive controls and fascinating facts.
- Immersive AR experience
- Interactive controls
- Fascinating space facts
- 3D solar system exploration
- Adjustable planet scale
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Pocket PlanetARium — A Truly Immersive Experience. Explore the Cosmos in AR and Bring the Universe to Life! Step inside the cosmos with Pocket PlanetARium, the ultimate Augmented Reality planetarium! Walk around, zoom in, and discover the planets like never before — from tiny Mercury to massive Jupiter. Experience the solar system in 3D, wherever you are. Features: • Immersive AR Experience – See planets appear in your space at a scale from 10 feet to 1 mile in diameter. • Interactive Controls – Toggle sounds, show planet names, pause animations, and reset your position with simple gestures. • Fascinating Facts – Did you know Jupiter can fit 1,300 Earths inside it? Or that a year on Pluto lasts 248 Earth years? • Walk Among the Giants – Approach Neptune and observe its Great Dark Spot, the site of the solar system’s strongest sustained winds. Perfect for students, space enthusiasts, or anyone curious about the universe, Pocket PlanetARium turns your surroundings into a stellar playground. Download now and bring the cosmos to life!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astrolabe Clock at none against Pocket PlanetARium's 1. Astrolabe Clock also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Pocket PlanetARium sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Astrolabe Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Astrolabe Clock against 4.6 for Pocket PlanetARium. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 64 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Astrolabe Clock's written reviews are positive against 94% of Pocket PlanetARium's.
Astrolabe Clock ships an update every 4 weeks, Pocket PlanetARium monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Astrolabe Clock | Pocket PlanetARium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (49 ratings) — better | 4.6 (64 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews | 93.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 49 | 64 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Smith | 5Play Apps, LLC |
Customer experience
Astrolabe Clock
Pocket PlanetARium
Bugs and requests
Astrolabe Clock
Reported bugs
3 issues- Widget is not working
- Date reset when entering settings
- Date and time settings revert back to December 31, 1969 at 18:00
Requested features
9 requests- Add alarms
- Ability for postings
- Set an alarm for upcoming sidereal time
- Full moon alerts
- Add the rise and set times for any object selected
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- Display of Local Sidereal Time
- Show age of moon in days
- Add BC dates
- Add twilight lines
Pocket PlanetARium
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Astrolabe Clock
No in-app purchases
Pocket PlanetARium
- Remove Ads$2.99




